What’s up world? Its your boy Peekay. Well the week after Spring Break is over. I hear so many people complain about school work and how they wish break lasted forever. Well come on folks!!! I know break was fun, but here’s a chance to chase your dreams and make a positive difference in the world. So remember your break, but put it in the back of your mind or aside for now and focus on your work knowing you are refreshed. To get over the fact that you are so stressed out and have work, find the joys in work. Don’t worry about grades or anything, but instead enjoy the material and connect it to your life. For example in Differential Equations, my class and I connected the class to Romeo & Juliet’s feelings. Or I can connect systems of equations to Ravens fandom and Steelers fandom or how loud M&T Bank Stadium or I-95/I-395 interchange is so crowded. Or in Education Psych about learning and connect analogies to things you like. For example, I connect learning to how Joe Flacco embraced the West Coast Offense :). Or I make memes. Also if you want to move where you went on Spring Break too study hard so you can get a job offer. But there are always great places to see that you haven’t yet, so who knows?

What’s up world? Its your boy Peekay!!! Well finals are coming up now. Well I am here to talk about how to survive finals. Yes it will be stressful, but don’t let it freeze you or panic you. In fact embrace the stress so you can do better. But however, don’t let it drive you to be irrational. In fact enjoy your chance that you can achieve and redeem yourself for previous mistakes. Today folks we’ll talk battle plans and how to do well and keep your sanity. OK you got finals and you just came back from Thanksgiving and rudely awakened by finals and think oh shit I can’t do this and “Fuck it All.” Well enough bullshit!!! Well divide your work up evenly and set goals each day. Allow yourself time for fun each day! That way you will be able to relax and be powered. I recommend you spend your finals away from others and study alone. That way you can concentrate in silence! Also set goals each day, so you don’t stare aimlessly.

Also prune away responsiblities and promises, so you can focus on your exams. For example, I do less activities and isolate myself during finals. Also when friends or folks ask me to do favors, I decline when it interferes with my studying. That way, I can focus on finals and keep my mind wide awake!!! Then I run fully and make less mistakes. Also I study in blocks of an hour and I stay away from where I sleep and live. That way, I learn to focus and can relax back at my place.

Also with study breaks between hours and stop at a reasonable time. That way, I am able to have full energy and remove stress when I sleep. I eat every meal and allow myself some time with friends. That way, I am able to be sane. Also the day of exams, I remain calm and just look over and relax, so I go into the battle of the exam and slay the enemy well and calm. I know the nuances and feel strong. Also I do not talk to others before the exam, so I can focus.

What’s up world? Its your boy Peekay! What do you know its time for the weekend! As I mentioned earlier the weekend is a time for you all to relax. Fridays are relaxing and Saturdays are some work and a lot of relaxing! Then, Sunday is when we transition from the debauchery of the weekend to the grind of the week. As a result, you should do most of your work and plan ahead on Sunday. But I want to have a full mind and relax. Here is what I do and I will post suggestions later! Sunday morning I get up between 9 and 11. I meditate, view my goals for the weekend and I relish in the fact that I had a great time with my friends :). Then I go for brunch in the Great Room and eat quietly slowly summing all my goals for the day. Afterwards, I head over to Goodpaster or a private study room that is away from my on-campus housing where I can focus on my day ahead. I set goals and break out time so I can just focus with 10-minute breaks every hour! I do about 3-4 hours a day and then I call it day with work!

Following that, I usually schedule the week. Monday, I have structure and plan out the next few days!!! Also I know when to get ahead on studying. Furthermore, I get work done in advanced. After planning, I watch football the remainder of the evening! For your deadlines plan them out and plan your work all day hard days in advanced. That way you do it on your own terms. Also tell your friends so they can root for you and can tell you to get to work. I tell my friends not to let me into their place, until a certain day so I can get all my work done!! So let’s plan out and make the week great!

What’s up world? Peekay is back! I came to a realization that the best way to improve your grades is not worry and enjoy the class more. Worrying causes anxiety which will cause panic and interfere with completing tasks properly and rushing that will lead to disaster. I decided to enjoy the process along the way and just allow myself to have fun with the assignment. Then I run it by my professor and we talk about feedback. I learn to listen to feedback and really put my heart in and complete my ideas. I don’t ask about grades, I just keep my passion going. Then at the end, my grades are at the least a B-. Without the worry about the grades, I am able to enjoy the assignment and the grades increase with the enjoyment and effort put in! Grades are based off learning what is taught in class. And the best way to learn is to have fun! The best way that I learn is through connecting things to my life. For example, I connect what I learn to football by fake interviews with random refs or by Cris & Al on SNF! That way I get a good laugh while recalling all the concepts!!!

Last year I made the mistake of worrying too much about my grades and that did me more damage than good. I really did not reap the benefits of my education and led to panic attacks which lowered my performance. Grades are important, but one needs to enjoy the learning and then want to do well. When you connect it to your passions you are able to pull your grades up and worry less!! Also I don’t talk to stressed out students prior to the exam. I feel confident and recall my fun study times to recall and apply the knowledge. WIth tests, I write outlines for the short answer questions and make sure I address the question. I scan the test and start answering the easier problems first. Then I proceed with the harder problems and finally finish up by using hints from different problems. And I tailor my studying to the testing format and so far the lowest I have received is a B-. Not bad folks.

Happy Studying,

Peekay Serendipitous Than

Disclaimer: This is not a guarantee to bring grades up! But your chances for academic success are enhanced and you will probably (not definitively) have less panic attacks!

What’s up world? Its your boy Peekay! I have been approached with the question on how to maximize school getting out of while minimizing study time. Well I am happy to say I have a full answer for you folks!!! The best way to maximize the information you get out of class is to read ahead. Just skim the information and then outline the key points on your computer as notes. Following that, you can take notes and ask questions. When you take your notes, you can focus on the major points. Just look at what the teacher emphasizes the most. A hint is what does the teacher or professor specialize in. They tend to ask more questions on what they specialize in! The teacher will raise their voice or say this is important and you memorize that. I recommend you attend all of your classes so that you are able to ask questions and after class it won’t take as long to process the material. Sometimes things come up, but make a concerted effort to attend! After class, I draw flow charts to show how the concepts connect and deep process that shit! Then when studying for exams, start studying 10 days in advanced. That way, I have enough time and do not overload myself on a day. During study, I make my own quizzes of short answer. Then, I do fake interviews or lectures where I imagine I have people like Ed Hochuli asking me about the concepts and I recall everything. I check against my textbook and if I got I move on. If not I redo diagrams until I confidently understand the concept. Then the night before the test, I stop studying by 9pm and meditate. Then I drink tea and relax and go to bed by midnight. I get up 2 hours before the test and I shower and eat breakfast. Then I review quickly by redoing a few quiz questions and I come to the test location and not talk to anyone! Then I am in my zone, take the test and then turn it in! Then I come home and relax.

What’s up world? Its your boy Peekay! As I have been studying for a while, I know how to keep my studying habits running fast. I separate the places where I work and play. When I study, I try to study in the basement of Goodpaster, the picnic table behind Admissions, the waterfront, or somewhere quieter. I use the Goodpaster basement and Admissions regularly, but I switch it up when I get bored or want a change of scenery. With a change of scenery, my motivation increases. I try to keep away from others so I can focus. I travel to a table where there is less traffic so I am able to focus and not be distracted by others!!! So when I am done and not distracted, I am able to hang with my friends and move on to bigger and better things in life. I try to get work done early, so I can also seek feedback. Also upon returning home, I feel very relaxed and able to focus and not have papers cluttered all over my desk.

With split locations you can just focus on what you need to do via associations. For example in Goodpaster, I am able to focus on my work as I associate the computer lab there and not stress. So when I come back to my apartment and I feel relaxed, as I do not feel pressured there and I can hang with my friends there without worrying about impending homework. I know it is challenging to study in the dorm room and that is why I don’t study there. Because all your fun activities are there along with your friends and your bed, your momentum and motivation will disappear in that cozy environment, as you want to nap, watch football, or chill with friends!

What’s up world? Peekay is back with some more great study habits!!!! I talk about start early and not procrastinating right! Well I have some tips about having many tests!!! I start studying about 2 weeks before each test. Also while I take notes, I make outlines therefore I will be able to quiz myself better and know the concepts better. I start fast, so when stress comes I know I can handle the material and minimize the stress. Also I stay off of Facebook to avoid other people stressing!!! I promise you with proper planning you can minimize stress. I plan out the next few weeks and set goals so by the week the exams come, I can primarily focus on the exams and smaller assignments assigned that week. I recommend getting smaller assignments and projects due complete early, therefore you will be able to stress less and allow yourself some time to relax. To add to what I am going to say, don’t cry when school stress overtakes you and wallow in it! Come find friends to talk to. When tests don’t go well, I either find people to laugh it off with or I play video games and watch uplifting funny videos.

Moving on, people ask “Peekay, what do I do when I am stressed? I just naturally stress during tests.” Well I am happy to say that just relax. Study a few hours a day and then in the evenings relax. The last time I had two tests back to back, I was able to relax by studying a few hours and calming myself down so that I was able to relax. By giving out cookies and cheering others out, I felt relaxed and moved on. Also the day of the test, calm down. Do not stress. I do not talk to others and I go to a quiet spot to get away to prepare myself. I think things over in my mind and I tell myself I will do well. I do not talk to stressed out people. I pull a Bill Belichick and I do not answer and I just stay calm.

However, after the test, I loosen up and return to my chipper self!!! I turn into Aaron Rodgers or Gene Steratore and I start being cheerful and smile knowing I gave it all I got!!!! Then I relax and when I receive my test, I assess where to do better. I do not blame anyone or anything. I look where I went right and wrong. I build off of that for the next time!!!